#1302 Junior’s Adventure – Must One Need a Reason to Refuse? 

I’m Junior. 
And right now, I’m having one heck of a time in the royal castle’s kitchen. 

“All right, I’ve decided! You’re going to be a royal chef! I’ll grant permission... No, I’ll personally push this through! You’re exactly the kind of talent this castle needs!!!” 

The push to make me an official castle chef is terrifying. 

“Head Chef! I’m the one who brought him here! Don’t forget who found this guy!” 
“I know! Anyway, there’s no way we can just let such a talented cook slip away! If someone else poaches him while we’re sitting on our hands, that’s a lifelong regret! We’re getting him, no matter what!” 

They’re talking about me like I’m a Pok*mon they just caught. 

“A skilled chef who can make dishes no one’s ever seen before...any kitchen would kill to have that.” 
“If the royal castle fails to snag someone that promising, it’d be a national embarrassment.” 

Now even the other cooks are joining in to box me in? 

More importantly, should you really be chatting right now? 
The party prep isn’t going to finish itself! 

...Huh? You’re saying you can take a breather because I already cooked so much? 
Oh. I see. 

“Anyway, tell us your preferred conditions! Salary, rank, whatever! We’re not forcing you to stay. A talent like you deserves special treatment!” 
“W-Wait, salary, too?” 
“At the very least, ten times what you’re getting now.” 
“No waaaaaaaaay!” 
 

That scream came from Perina, the apprentice cook. 
Don’t worry, if you keep working hard, your pay will go up too. Probably. 

But this is no time for that kind of talk. 

Sure, living my life as a chef would be fulfilling, but I’ve still got so much to learn and do. 

“Um, it’s an incredibly generous offer, but could I... uh, take some time to think it over?” 
“Excellent! Then you’re hired!” 

Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! 
No! 
I just said I’ll think it over! 

Who interprets “think it over” as “I accept”?! 
Scary! What kind of company puts someone this pushy in charge of hiring?! 

“Then I’ll appoint you as deputy head chef! You’ll take charge when I’m not here! You look like you’ve got leadership skills too!” 

He’s even evaluating me seriously?! 
No, no, this won’t do! I can’t work here! I have my reasons...! 

“Oh? You’re refusing? Then let’s hear it. You must have a reason, right?” 

Well, um...! 
Is he the ‘you’re not leaving until you justify it’ type?! 

That’s about as hard to handle as someone texting, ‘You free today?’ 

“If you give a reason, he’ll just argue it away and crush it, then rope you back in. Unless you’ve got a rock-solid excuse, you’re doomed,” says Veil, still hiding. 

She’s right. I’m cornered. Completely. 

How do I get out of this relentless interrogation...? 

Should I just come clean and say, ‘Sorry, I’m supposed to inherit the throne, so I can’t’? 
That’d be the ultimate excuse, if only I could actually say it. 

Just as I’m trapped in thought... 

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! SHEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” 

What the heck was that monkey scream?! 
Judging by the Doppler effect...it’s getting closer?! 

“WOOOOOOOHHH! HORRYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” 

Someone barrels into the kitchen like a charging tiger on horseback. 

They slam the brakes but can’t stop in time, skid across the floor, lose balance, tumble, and smash into the wall. 

CRAAASH! 

Then they plow right into the mountain of melons piled up for dessert, burying themselves under the collapsing fruit. 

“Whaaa?! This is a disaster!” 
“Get him out! Hurry! He might suffocate under there!!!” 

The kitchen, which had finally calmed down, erupts into chaos again. 

Who is this maniac who brought a full-blown catastrophe in with him?! 

Still... at least it bought me a little breathing room from the recruiters. 

Before we can even move, the melon heap explodes as the intruder leaps out, springing up like a dragon in flight. 

And no wonder, it’s President Ritheseus himself! 

Because of course, in this world, even the president needs peak physical stats. 

“P-P-President?!” 
“Wh-Why is His Excellency here?! Was something wrong with the food...?!” 

The sudden intrusion of the nation’s leader naturally sends the entire kitchen staff into a panic. 
It’s an absurd situation. 
There’s too big a gap between running a kitchen and running a country. 

President Ritheseus—my big brother figure—has wild, bloodshot eyes, and yet, when he speaks, his voice carries the commanding charisma of someone born to lead a nation. 

“WHO MADE THIS PANCAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!” 

The shout alone makes the kitchen tremble. 
The head chef immediately steps forward, almost instinctively. 

“Your Excellency! I am the head chef! I oversee this entire kitchen, and thus take full responsibility for every dish prepared here, regardless of who made it!” 

Wow. 
To stand up to President Ritheseus himself and say that—that’s impressive. 

He may be pushy, but he’s clearly a man with real backbone. 

Seeing that, Big Bro Ritheseus regains a sliver of composure... 

“Relax, Chef. I didn’t barge in here to scold anyone.” 

You did barge in, though. Please reflect on that later. 

“If my hunch is right, the most important person of the day is in this kitchen. And this pancake! This is the key clue! So, I’ll ask again! Who made this ?!” 

It was me...! 

“I knew it! Junior!” 

His eyes flicker wildly: relief, shock, and confusion all blending together. 
So many emotions at once. 

“That’s how shocking it is to see you in a kitchen,” a retort from Veil. “I mean, if the guest of honor you’re supposed to welcome is in the prep room, anyone would be confused. That’s host’s-worst-nightmare levels of awkward.” 

That much?! 

“Junior! What are you doing here?!” 
“I-I-I'm so sorry!” 

When in doubt, just apologize. 

“I told them to send someone to pick you up! Then I heard you’d already left, but you never arrived! I thought you got lost, or worse, caught up in some disaster! You and your dad have a talent for stumbling into epic-level incidents, you know! Please give me a break!” 

Th-That’s… a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it? 
We’re not that prone to world-shaking chaos... 

“Exactly! With me around, even a dragon’s breath could end any epic in a single chapter!” 
“Miss Veil?! You were with him?! How did things get this bad?!” 
“As expected of Ritheseus, you saw right through my concealment.” 

There’s a long story behind that. 
But for now, I’m sorry. 

“You've basically turned into an apology bot.” 
“What matters is that you’re safe! I’m just glad we found you before anything serious happened! At least the party won’t be a disaster now...!” 

Big Bro Ritheseus exhales in relief, but the kitchen staff can only stare in total bewilderment. 

“Uh… Your Excellency? What do you mean, ‘party disaster’?” 
“Yeah, Your Excellency, we’ve been busting our butts to make sure the feast is perfect! Everything’s ready! There’s no way this could fail!” 

To that, Big Bro answers with booming conviction... 

“That’s not the issue! No matter how flawless your preparations are, if the guest of honor never shows up, the whole event is meaningless!” 
“Eh?” 
“He’s the main guest of today’s banquet, the son of Lord Saint himself, and prince of the Farm Kingdom, Prince Junior!” 

He gestures grandly toward me. 

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!” 

The kitchen explodes in perfect sync. 

“Huh?! thought he was just an extra hand in the kitchen!” 
“Perina?! You’re the one who brought him, right?! What made you think he was a cook?!” 
“Eh? Er, he was dressed all in white, so I just assumed…!” 

As they argue, the back door creaks open, and some random young guy strolls in. 

“Yo! Sorry I’m late, dudes! My bad, loool.” 

… 
I think he’s the actual kitchen reinforcement. 

“You’re way too late, and we’ve already got enough hands. You can go home.” 
“Wha- Pff, seriously?! Lmaooooo.” 

...For some reason, that annoys me more than it should.